Letter from John Arensmeyer

I’m pleased to report that 2011 was a successful one for Small Business Majority. We engaged more lawmakers and small business owners than ever before in our mission to advocate for pragmatic, bottom-line-oriented policies that will work for small businesses and the economy.

Small Business Majority is proud to have played a significant role this year in the first stages of healthcare reform implementation, and we’ve stepped up our role in the clean energy and innovation arenas. We’ve also launched a program to help small businesses get access to credit—small business lending is in an alarming state of crisis and must be adequately addressed.

Below are some of our biggest 2011 successes. Happy Holidays and we’ll see you all in the New Year!

We made great strides in connecting with small business owners and lawmakers across the country to educate them about the new healthcare law—the Affordable Care Act. We held listening tours, webinars, forums or other events in 30 states. Click here to see our progress.

Healthcare exchanges became a major area of focus this year. These competitive marketplaces, which take effect in 2014, offer a promising opportunity for small businesses to purchase quality health coverage at affordable prices. Check out our California Health Benefit Exchange forum series and take a look at our exchange work on the national level.

We held focus groups and conducted a national poll examining small business attitudes toward clean energy policies, the need for an innovative clean energy economy and strong new vehicle emissions standards. The poll was covered by the media in more than 250 stories.

Our network of small business owners grew significantly, which led us to begin forming a Network Advisory Council of owners whose experiences will help us craft sound policy recommendations. Our new Network Coordinator, Erica Dowell, oversees the council.

We brought small business owners from around the country to Washington, D.C. to remind Congress why the Clean Air Act is a key driver of an innovative clean energy-based economy–one that is creating more and more small business jobs every year.

We released the Health Coverage Guide, a new online resource in English and Spanish for California entrepreneurs looking for information about health insurance. The Guide has been covered by the media in more than 130 stories. Another important resource for small business owners, our tax credit calculator, has seen nearly 34,000 web hits since its unveiling.